Educação de crianças e sensibilidade no olhar de Rubem Alves

Abstract

This paper presents Rubem Alves's contributions to childhood education and the sensitivity required to carry out this task. It emphasizes Rubem Alves's view of the child as a being who should be encouraged to explore, imagine, and perceive the world in a broad manner. He argued that learning should go beyond the transmission of concepts, valuing enchantment, freedom, and creativity in the educational process. Furthermore, the author’s relationship with Paulo Freire is mentioned, highlighting the points on which both agreed, such as the liberating role of education, as well as their differences in approaches, with Rubem Alves's being more poetic and metaphorical. Thus, the general objective was to analyze Rubem Alves's approach to sensitivity in the process of educating children. Specifically, it aimed to: reflect on the education of children today, considering the family and school contexts; present fundamental aspects of Rubem Alves's life and works; and analyze how Rubem Alves develops in his works the multiple articulations between sensitivity and early childhood education. The methodology used for this research was a bibliographic review, which is a systematic and critical process aimed at identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing existing research on the aforementioned theme. The theoretical contributions of authors such as Ariés (2014) and Brostolin and Machado (2022), among others, were fundamental. The work emphasizes Rubem Alves's view of the child as a being who should be encouraged to explore, imagine, and perceive the world broadly. He defended that learning should go beyond the transmission of concepts, valuing enchantment, freedom, and creativity in the educational process. Additionally, the author's relationship with Paulo Freire is mentioned, highlighting the points on which both agreed, such as the liberating role of education, and their differences in approaches, with Rubem Alves's being more poetic and metaphorical. In his reflection on education, he shows the need to rethink traditional educational practices that restrict the imagination and human potential of children. The research also proposes relevant themes for future investigations, such as the role of children's imagination in learning and creative development; how to use children's literature as a sensitive educational tool; the importance of emotional education in early childhood; and how to prepare teachers to meet the educational needs of children. Thus, this study reinforces the relevance of Rubem Alves's thought in constructing a more humane, sensitive, and transformative education that values childhood as a period of discoveries and possibilities, contributing to a fairer and happier society.